Texas, 1998

Ice Storm in Texas, December 23 to 24, 1998

December 23 to 24, 1998 · NWS OUN · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

An extended period of light freezing drizzle or light freezing rain mixed with light snow and light sleet fell across western portions of North Texas on the 23rd and early on the 24th, producing a thin glaze of ice on most area roads. Dozens of traffic accidents occurred including 59 in Wichita County on the 23rd.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.

An extended period of light freezing drizzle or light freezing rain mixed with light snow and light sleet fell across western portions of North Texas on the 23rd and early on the 24th, producing a thin glaze of ice on most area roads. Dozens of traffic accidents occurred including 59 in Wichita County on the 23rd. There was also a 10 car pile-up in Bellvue in Clay County. Slick roads were also reported in Wilbarger, Foard, and Hardeman Counties, but accidents were less numerous than in Wichita and Clay Counties. Shepard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls (Wichita County) recorded just a trace of precipitation during the event.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Clay

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.786, -98.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Archer

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Archer forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.615, -98.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Baylor

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Baylor forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.617, -99.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Foard

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Foard forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.975, -99.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hardeman

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.290, -99.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Knox

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.606, -99.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wichita

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Wichita forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.988, -98.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wilbarger

When
December 23, 6:00 AM CST to December 24, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Wilbarger forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.081, -99.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5678284, 5678285, 5678286, 5678287, 5678288, 5678289, 5678290, 5678291.